Planter or fertilizer-distributer.



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- PATENTEDMAR. 3, 1903. T. H. NANCE, PLANTER 0R FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTE-R.

.ARPLIOATION FILED JANu25, 1902.

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WARD, N. M. WEAVER, GEORGIA.

AND GEORGE MCDONALD, OF CUTHBERT,

PLAN TE R OR FERTlLlZE'R-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,732, dated March 3, 1903. Application filed January 25. 1902. Serial No. 91.224. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TURNER HUNT NANCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Talladega, in the county of Talladega and State of Alabama, have invented-a new and useful Planter or Fertilizer-Distributor, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to agricultural machines, and particularly to that class employed in distributing fertilizers orin seeding.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a machine of this character that will be positive in its feed, so that a predetermined amount of seed or fertilizer will be discharged therefrom. A further aim is to greatly simplify themechanism of these machines without in any manner impairing their usefulness, the result being a-very inexpensive structure that canbe placed upon the market at a comparatively low figure.

In the accompanying drawings there are illustrated two forms of the machine as preferably constructed; but it will be understood that the invention is not limitedto these two forms nor to the exact construction shown,

- but can be changed and modified within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine as constructed for distributing commercial fertilizer or seeding any of the well-known kinds of grain. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the hopper. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line X X of Fig.'1.- Fig. 4 is a detail view of the scraper for the drive-wheel. Fig. 5 isa detail view of the chain-tightening device. Fig. 6 is a sectional view through a portion of the drive-shaft, showing the form of clutch preferably employed. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view through aslightlymodified form of the machine. Fig. Sis a cross-section of the same, and Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view.

Similar numerals of reference-designate corseeding mechanism attached thereto.

tributingfertilizer and planting cotton-seed it may alsobe advantageouslyemployed in planting corn and various other kinds of grain. In the first three figures of the drawings the invention is shown as applied to an ordinary well-known style of sh'ovel-plow,con-

- sisting of a beam or stock 10, to one end of which are attached the usual handles 11, while a standard 12 is secured to the intermediate portion of the stockand is provided at its lower end with the usual tongue or shovel 13. This structure in itself forms no part of the invention, which relates to the This mechanism is constructed as follows: A receptacle 14 in the form of a hopper is secured by suitable means upon the beam 10 and to the handles 11, and'in the lower part of said hopper is jonrnaled a transverselydisposed feed-worm 15, suitable boxes 16 being provided for the purpose, said worm rest ing in aseat 14 The discharge end of this worm is located in an opening 17 in one of the side walls of the hopper, and directly beneath this opening is located the upper end of a dropper-tube 18, secured to the beam and hopper and located at an inclination, so that its lower end will be directly beneath the beam 10 and in rear of the shovel 13, The worm is provided at its discharge end with a projecting stem 19, upon which is secured a sprocket-wheel, as 20. a

A driving-shaft 21 is journaled upon the lower ends of a pair of supporting-brackets 22, said brackets being preferably secured by the same bolts 23which fasten the handles to the stock. To this drive-shaft is secured a drive-wheel 24, located between the brackets and running in the furrow formed by the shovel-plow 13. Thisdrive-wheel is preferably provided with a metallic tit-e24, which is cleaned of adhering soil by means of a scraper 25, secured to the rear end of the stock and having its free end located adjacent to said tire. This free end is preferably beveled, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the mud or soil when removed from the drive-wheel will be thrown to one side of the same and will not, therefore, accumulate upon the frame.

As clearly shown in Fig. 6, one end of the ICO drive-shaft 21 is provided with a threaded portion, at the inner end of which is located a shoulder 26, formed bya nut screwed upon said threaded portion, and a sprocket-wheel 27 is loosely journaled upon this threaded portion, said sprocket-wheel being normally held against movement on the shaft by means of a clutch or holding nut 28, having a handle 29, which nut is screwed upon the threaded portion and is arranged to force the sprocket-wheel 27 against the shoulder 26. Instead of this structure any well-known clutch may be provided, this being employed because of its inexpensiveness. Around the two sprocket wheels 27 and 20 passes a sprocket or drive chain 30, whereby motion communicated to thedrive-shaft by the drivewheel will be transmit-ted to the worm. This sprocket-chain is tightened by a simple device clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. An arm 31 is provided at its ends with oppositelyprojecting pintles 32, one of which is pivoted in an opening made for the pnrposein the receptacle or hopper 14, while the other carries an idler 33, that meshes with the links of said sprocket-chain. This idler is held in engagement with the chain by means of a pin 34, detachably engaging in any of a series of openings 35, made in the hopper, as shown in Fig. 1, said pin being fastened by a chain 36, secured to the hopper.

In order to feed the material in the hopper to the central portion of the Worm, and especially to prevent its passing directly through the opening 17 to the feed-tube,inclined guideblocks 37 are secured in the bottom of said hopper over the Worm, said blocks having recesses 37, through which the worm passes. The adjacent faces of these blocks are spaced apart, and directly between them is located a stirrer-shaft 38, that extends longitudinally of the hopper and substantially at right angles to the worm. This shaft is provided with suitable stirrer-fingers 39, that may be of any desired construction, and it is provided with teeth that mesh with the worm. These teeth are preferably in the form of an annular series of spikes 40, secured to the shaft between the stirrer fingers 39 and spaced a suitable distance apart, so that they will engage between the spaced threads of the worm, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 7, 8, and 9 a slightly-modified structure is shown. In this case a feed-worm 15 is employed which extends longitudinally of the hopper, and the feed-tube 18 is located at the rear of the stock. A pair of drivewheels 24 are secured to the drive-shaft 21, and the sprocket-wheel 27 a is attached to said shaft between the wheels. The sprocketchain 30 passes around this sprocket-wheel and to another sprocket-wheel 20, that is at tached to a stub-shaft 20", which carries a gear-wheel 20, having several annular series of teeth 20, that are located adjacent to the stem 19 of the worm. Upon this stem is slidably mounted a gear-wheel 19 that is secured against rotation on the shaft and is arranged to mesh with any one of the annular series of teeth 20, whereby the speed of the worm may be changed, as'desired. Several stirring devices are employed in this case,

and each is constructed in the manner already described. This latter structure is especially designed and adapted for distributing heavy manure. It often happens that stones, bits of iron, and other foreign material is mixed in with this class of fertilizer, and if such material is too large to discharge through the opening in the rear end of the hopper it will be evident that the feed will choke and result either in the stoppage or the breakage of the worm or other part of the mechanism. To prevent this, the seat 14, formed for the screw, in this instance is made of a pair of curved spring-metal sections 41, each secured to the bottom along one edge, the adjacent edges of said sections being normally together. When an obstruction enters the mechanism, however, if it cannot pass through it will be forced by the worm to the bottom, and the sections 41, springing apart, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8, will allow it to drop from the machine. In the form shown this spring is obtained from the metal from which the sections are constructed; but it will be understood that the means for holding the two sections normally in closed position may be changed and varied as desired. Longitudinally-disposed guideblocks 42 are also arranged in the hopper and are disposed on opposite sides of the worm.

The operation of the first-described machine will be readily apparent. As said machine is moved forwardly the drive-wheel 24 will be rotated, consequently revolving the sprocket-wheel 27, and through the medium of the chain 30 and the sprocket-wheel 20 the worm will also be rotated. As a result the material will be fed by the Worm in a certain predetermined quantity to the hopper-tube, through which said material will gravitate into the furrow. The Worm, furthermore, imparts a rotary movement to the stirrer, so that the teeth thereof will break up the material and prevent its bridging in the receptacle or hopper. Should it be desired to change the speed of the worm with relation to the drivewheel, it is only necessary to remove the lower sprocket-wheel 27 and replace it by any one of a series of smaller wheels, which will be supplied with the machine. In case it is desired to transport the machine from one place to another, it is only necessary in order to prevent the Waste of material to stop the feed thereof, and this can be readily accomplished by turning the holding-nut 28 so as to unclamp the sprocket-wheel 27. The driveshaft 21 can therefore rotate freely in said sprocket-wheel, which will remain at a standstill. The operation of the modified structure is substantially the same, with the exception that no interchangeable sprocketwheels are employed for changing the speed ICC of the worm, this being accomplished by changing the position of the pinion or gear Wheel upon the stem 19 in the manner already described.

The advantages for this device may be summed up as follows: In the first place the feed of the material is strictly positive, and the amount may be regulated as desired. Furthermore, the construction is exceedingly simple and inexpensive, especially the provision whereby the worm performs the double function of feeding and also actuating the stirrer. The chain-tightening device is exceedingly simple, and the scraper thoroughly removes any material that may cling to the drive-wheel, said scraper being self-cleaning.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art with-' out further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. For instance, any wellknown form or design of worm or screw conveyer may be employedinstead of the specific form shown in the drawings, and the invention is therefore not to be limited to the kind illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a receptacle, of a rotatable feed-worm having a portion located in the receptacle, and a stirrer rotatably mounted in the receptacle and having teeth movable between and meshing with the threads of the worm, said stirrer being revolved thereby.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a receptacle, of a rotatable feed-worm having a portion located in the receptacle, and a stirrer rotatably mounted in the receptacle in angular relation to the worm, said stirrer having teeth movable between and meshing with the threads of the worm, said stirrer being revolved thereby.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a receptacle, of a droppertube communicating with the receptacle, a feed-worm rotatably mounted in the receptacle and leading to the dropper-tube, oppositely-inclined bottom walls arranged in the receptacle and having their lower portions spaced apart to expose an intermediate part of the worm, and a stirrer rotatably mounted in the hopper above the exposed portion of theworm between the inclined walls, said stirrer being disposed in angular relation to said worm.

4. In a machine of the class described, the

sitely-inclined bottom Walls arranged in the receptacle and having their lower portions spaced apart to expose an intermediate part of the worm, one of said Walls being located between said exposed portion of the worm and the dropper-tube to direct the material away from'the tube and to the worm, and astirrer rotatably mounted in the hopper and having teeth meshing with the exposed portion of the worm.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a receptacle, of a rotatable feed-worm having a portion located in the receptacle, a stirrer-shaft journaled in thereceptacle above the worm and in angular relation thereto, said shaft having stirrer-fingers,

and an annular series of spike-teeth secured to the stirrer-shaft and meshing with the feedworm.

7. In a machine'of the class described, the

combination with a receptacle having an open ing in its bottom, of seat-sections normally closing the opening and secured along their outer edges to the receptacle, said sections automatically yielding downwardly when subj ected to abnormal pressure, a rotatable feedworm mounted in the seat, and means for rotating the feed-worm.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a receptacle, of a rotatable feed-worm having a portion located in the receptacle above the bottom thereof, and a stirrer-shaft journaled in the receptacle above the worm and arranged at right angles thereto. 9. In a machine of the class described, the

combination with a receptacle having a dis-- charge, of a feed-worm leading to the discharge, and a rotatable stirrer located within the receptacle and having spiked teeth that are movable between'and actuated by the threads of the worm to rotate the stirrer.

10. In a machine of the class described, the I able between and actuated by the threads of the worm to rotate said shaft. 11. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a receptacle having a discharge, of a feed-worm located within the receptacle and leading to the discharge, and a rotatable stirrershaft arranged above the worm and at right angles thereto, said shaft carrying stirrer-fingers and being furthermore provided wit-ban intermediatelyarranged series of spiked teeth that also constitute stirrers, said teeth being movable bemounted in the seat above the sections, and I0 means for rotating said worm.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

TURNER HUNT NANCE. WVitnesses:

J OHN H. SIGGERS, FLORENCE E. WALTER. 

